Happy Like a Fool wires field in Miss Preakness

BALTIMORE – Trainer Wesley Ward has high expectations for the filly Happy Like a Fool, who certainly met and even exceeded what was asked of her on Friday at Pimlico, when she took the track from her eight rivals and ran them off their feet, romping to a 6 1/2-length victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Miss Preakness Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

By the end of the year, Ward thinks she’ll be good enough to run in a race like the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs.

“I think she’ll end up being that good,” said Ward, who watched the race from Churchill Downs, where he has runners. “The owners have been great. We gave her the winter off so she’d be fresh, hoping it would pay off this summer and fall.”

The Miss Preakness was the second start this year for Happy Like a Fool, who was fourth in the Grade 3 Beaumont at Keeneland in her comeback race on April 8.

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She drew the rail in the six-furlong Miss Preakness, and was sent by jockey Tyler Gaffalione. After dueling with Artistic Diva through fractions of 23.06 seconds for the quarter and 46.13 seconds for a half-mile, Happy Like a Fool put away Artistic Diva and drew away, skipping over the sloppy main track in 1:10.12 for six furlongs.

Artistic Diva, making her first start of the year, held on for second, three-quarters of a length in front of third-place Buy Sell Hold. Good Move, the 8-5 favorite, finished sixth in the field of nine.

Happy Like a Fool, the third choice, paid $10.40 for $2 to win.

“I thought she was a little vulnerable inside, because I put my good horses on the outside in workouts,” Ward said. “I told Tyler he was going to have to go. We answered one question today. She likes the slop. So we’ve got that on our side.”

Happy Like a Fool is a barn favorite, Ward said.

“She’s the sweetest filly. Like a pony. She just wants to put her head on your shoulder. She’s been like that from Day One,” Ward said.

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Happy Like a Fool had an ambitious, international campaign last year at age 2, with a pair of starts in Group 2 stakes in England among her four races, which included stateside victories in a maiden race at Keeneland and the Grade 3 Matron at Belmont Park.

Ward intends to aim high this year, too, minus the European adventure. He said Happy Like a Fool will run this summer at Saratoga, then point for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, which is against males, but whose six-furlong distance Ward prefers to the seven furlongs of the Filly and Mare Sprint.

“Making her a Grade 1-winning filly is our goal,” Ward said.

Happy Like a Fool, by Distorted Humor, has now won three times in six starts. Ward trains her for the partnership of Merriebelle Stable, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Susan Magnier.